LANSING, MI -- Michigan state Sen. Rick Jones is looking to reduce speed traps with a bill that could produce higher speed limits -- 75 or 80 miles per hour on some freeways.

The Grand Ledge Republican, who worked in law enforcement for three decades before joining the state Legislature in 2004, believes that some communities are setting artificially low speed limits on local roads in an attempt to generate ticket revenue.

"There's a loophole in current law," Jones told MLive, referring to a 2006 statute that was designed to require all road agencies to set speed limits based on traffic studies. "There's a lot of political pressure not to follow it. Some cities are cashing in, and it needs to stop."

So-called speed traps aren't as common on state trunklines, where the Michigan Department of Transportation and Michigan State Police conduct traffic studies before establishing limits. They typically set top speeds at or below the rate at which 85 percent of vehicles safely travel.

"There's a misconception that the faster the speed limit, the more dangerous the road, and that's not necessarily true," said MDOT spokesman Rob Morosi. "Speed limits are most effective when the majority of people driving are comfortable at that speed."

Jones wants to make sure that all communities follow the "85th percentile" rule, and he wants to lift the state's existing 70 mph cap on highway speed limits that state police must enforce even when their studies show that a higher limit could be safe.

That might mean a 75 mph or 80 mph speed limit on a stretch of freeway, or 55 mph in a congested area or on a curve with limited visibility.

"Politicians should never set speed limits," Jones said. "That's how you get speed traps. It should be done scientifically by the Michigan State Police or the police in an areas where a study is done."

Jones is working on a bill with state Sen. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, and plans to introduce it in the next month or two.

Michigan's current maximum highway speed is consistent with several neighboring states. Indiana and Ohio both have 70 mph limits, and Illinois is set to follow suit in 2014.

Jim Walker, an Ann Arbor resident who serves as the executive director of the National Motorists Association Foundation, agrees with Jones that speed limits should be based on safe speeds that motorists actually travel.

"We all want to see limits set entirely on the basis of rational science and not on the basis of ticket revenue," he said. "The posted speed limit has virtually no effect on the upper end of traffic speeds absent 24-7 enforcement, which nobody can afford."

Walker has traveled to Lansing several times over the years to advocate for higher highway speed limits, and he believes Jones and state police are heading in the right direction.

"Today, 80 is the right number on most rural freeways in Michigan, provided MSP and MDOT have lower options in places where it is justified because of curbs, hills or accident rates," he said.

Jonathan Oosting is a Capitol reporter for MLive Media Group. Email him, find him on Google+ or follow him on Twitter.